Critical Habitat at the Crossroads: Responding to the G.W. Bush Administration\u27s Attacks on Critical Habitat Designation under the ESA

In this article, we argue that the George W. Bush Administration\u27s ( Administration ) attacks on the critical habitat protections in the Endangered Species Act ( ESA ) warrant priority attention from the environmental movement. Many species across the United States and, indeed, around the world, continue to slip towards extinction. As Congress recognized when it passed the ESA, the decline of most species can be directly traced to the destruction of their habitat. Protection and restoration of ecosystems that support endangered species is thus fundamental to species conservation

The enhanced Jc and Birr of in situ MgB2 wires and tapes alloyed with C4H6O5 (malic acid) after cold high pressure densification

Cold high pressure densification, a method recently introduced at GAP in Geneva, was applied for improving the transport critical current density, Jc, and the irreversibility field, Birr, of monofilamentary in situ MgB2 wires and tapes alloyed with 10 wt% C4H6O5 (malic acid). Tapes densified at 1.48 GPa exhibited after reaction an enhancement of Jc from 2 to 4 × 104 A cm−2 at 4.2 K/10 T and from 0.5 to 4 × 104 A cm−2 at 20 K/5 T, while the Birr was enhanced from 19.3 to 22 T at 4.2 K and from 7.5 to 10.0 T at 20 K. Cold densification also caused a strong enhancement of B(104), the field at which Jc takes the value 1 × 104 A cm−2. For tapes subjected to 1.48 GPa, and at 4.2 K were found to increase from 11.8 and 10.5 T to 13.2 and 12.2 T, respectively. Almost isotropic conditions were obtained for rectangular wires with aspect ratios a/bGPa, where and T were obtained. At 20 K, the wires exhibited an almost isotropic behavior, with T and T, Birr(20 K) being ~10 T. These values are equal to or higher than the highest values reported so far for isotropic in situ wires with SiC or other carbon based additives. Further improvements are expected on optimizing the cold high pressure densification process, which has the potential for fabrication of MgB2 wires of industrial lengths

Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Closure With the Ultraseal Device: Insights From the Initial Multicenter Experience

This study sought to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the Ultraseal device for left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) (Cardia, Eagan, Minnesota) in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at high bleeding risk